Chinmaya Mission
The Chinmaya Mission is a Hindu religious and spiritual organisation that disseminates Vedanta, the science of the self as described in the Vedas, particularly the Upanishads, and other Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita. Followers of Chinmayananda Saraswati established the Chinmaya Mission in India in 1953.
The mission was headed by Swami Tejomayananda and is now headed by Swami Swaroopananda. There are over 313 mission centres all over India and abroad. North America had more than 30 centres. It is currently administered by Central Chinmaya Mission Trust in Mumbai, India, headed by Swami Swaroopananda.
History
Foundation
Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati, the founder of Chinmaya Mission, was born in the city of Ernakulam in present-day Kerala, India. Doubting the teachings of the sages in the Himalayas, Balakrishna Menon met Swami Sivananda, who taught him in spiritual studies and then placed him under the tutelage of Swami Tapovanam, with whom he pursued spiritual studies. He eventually became the teacher known as Swami Chinmayananda.After Swami Chinmayananda
After Swami Chinmayananda died in 1993, his disciple Swami Tejomayananda became the global head of Chinmaya Mission. Under Swami Tejomayananda, projects such as the Chinmaya International Foundation and the Chinmaya International Residential School were taken up.In January 2017, Swami Tejomayananda assigned the headship of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide to Sri Swami Swaroopananda.
Activities
The following activities are conducted at mission centers on a weekly basis.Bala Vihar
Bala Vihar is a program in which children from age five to eighteen meet on a weekly basis to learn about Hindu culture, customs, and philosophy. Bala Vihar is a program that is conducted throughout the world, not just in India, but also in countries such as the United States, UK, and Australia. Some centers also have a version called Sishu Vihar, which is meant for children aged 2 to 4.Chinmaya Yuva Kendra
Chinmaya Yuva Kendra, known as CHYK, is the global youth arm of the Chinmaya Mission. It is meant for youth aged 18–30 and its motto is "Harnessing Youth Potential through Dynamic Spirituality". CHYK conducts many camps and sessions throughout the world. CHYK West is a similar organisation that operates in North America.Other activities
- Study groups for adults
- Chinmaya Vanprastha Sansthan for senior citizens
Medical facilities
- Hospital – 1
- Nurses Training Centre – 1
- Diagnostic Centre – 14
- Eye camp in the rural areas – 1
- Adoption of villages for providing social and medical relief – 120
- Senior Citizen Homes – 8
- Income generating schemes for downtrodden women – 1
- Children Welfare Centre – 1
- Goshalas – 4
Educational field
- Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth, a liberal University focused on promoting Indian Knowledge Systems, Indian traditions, Indic parampara and They have established three campuses in Pepathy, Pune, and Warriam Road.
- Chinmaya College of Arts, Commerce and Science, Tripunithura
- Schools – 70
- Chinmaya International Residential School – 1
- Harihar Schools – 3
- Colleges – 4
- Degree College – 1
- Chinmaya Institute of Higher Learning – 1
- Chinmaya Heritage Centre – 1
- Value based Vision Programme for schools
- Institute of Management – 1
- Chinmaya Academy for Civil Services
Rural development
Chinmaya Mission undertakes activities of Rural Development via its wing Chinmaya Organisation for Rural Development (CORD)Environment related
Chinmaya Mission, Sikkim Centre has established CHINMAYA SMRITI VANAM at Bulbuley, Gangtok, Sikkim, India, in 1995 and have planted till now more than 10,000 trees sapling most of which have grown now into full trees.Studies in Indology
Cultural field
- Seminars on public speaking for Youth
- Leadership and personality development for youth and adults
- Centre for World Understanding – 1Upanishad Ganga - 52-part TV series based on Upanishads and Hindu wisdom, conceived by Swami Tejonmayananda